Texas Sayings

I’m sitting at work listening to various conversations and upon hearing common phrases used slightly different from how I would normally say them, I decided to write a small blog post about it.

When you are wondering if you can throw something away, “Just chuck it” has become “Just chunk it” in Texas.

When you are asking someone what they would like to drink, “What kind of pop” has become “What kind of coke ” in Texas.

When you are addressing a group of mix gendered people, “You guys” has become “Y’all” (which everyone already knows).

When referring to the road next to the highway, “Access road” has become “the feeder road.”

“Take the turn-around” is a directional phrase that I use almost everyday and previously had never heard.

When calling on the phone, to express who they want to talk to, instead of saying “Can I speak to so-and-so” people will say “with so-and-so.”

Example: Operator: Dr’s office, how may I help you?
Minnesotan: May I speak with Dr. Fix-it?
Texan: With Dr. Fix-it.

Also, there is the double word sayings, that come from mixing Spanish and English. Best examples are “¿Por-que?, why?” and “¿Pero?, No?” In all reality you are asking or saying the same thing twice in a row, like saying “Why?Why?” but somehow, when you say them each in a different language, it’s perfectly acceptable.

I am sure there are a lot more speech differences but these are all that I can think of right now. What differences do you notice when traveling away from home? What is the most interesting linguistic difference you have come across?